Dispenser for semi-fluid hand cleaners and the like



J. T. JONES June 29, 1965 DISPENSER FOR SEMI-FLUID HAND CLEANERS AND THE LIKE Filed April 8, 1963 :ZEZZE FIG.2.

INVENTOR. JAMES T. JONES. DECEASED MABEL LUCILLE JONES. EXECUTRIX BY ATTORNEY 3,191,639 DISPENSER FOR SEMI-FLUID HAND CLEANERS AND THE LIKE James T. Jones, deceased, late of St. Charles Mo., by

Mabel Lucille Jones, executrix, St. Charles, Mo., assignor to The Metalife Company, Wentz ville, Mo., a corporation of Missouri Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,522 7 Claims. (Cl. 141-18) This invention relates to dispensers for substances of semi-liquid consistency, and particularly for cream-like hand cleaner used in the washrooms of garages, factories,

and the like.

A practical problem in the use of such hand cleaner is keeping dispensers filled. This task is ordinarily given to a janitor or other maintenance personnel, who have other duties to which priority must be given. It is therefore one purpose of the present invention to provide a dispenser which will indicate when refilling is in order and yet still have an adequate supply of material for continued use.

A problem in the design of dispensers for such creamlike or semi-liquid hand cleaners is as follows: Such substances are so slow-flowing that dispensers cannot be filled by pouring. A prior design of the present inventor, shown in U.S. Patent No. 2,818,998, entitled Dispenser Incorporating Air-Exhaust Means for use with Semifluid Materials, includes an open-topped cylindrical dispenser vessel over which an opened supply can of such semi-fluid material is placed inverted and pressed downward to fill the vessel. As in the present case, that device effectively doubled the capacity of the dispenser by utilizing the added capacity of the downward-telescoping supply can. Upstanding air exhaust means permitted the discharge of air on initial fillingor whenever the vessel was less than full; It is therefore a further object of the present invention to provide the advantages of this prior patent in a dispenser of simpler design, fillable from the bottom rather than the top, and dischargeable from a spout at the top rather than at the bottom.

These purposes, and others which are manifest from this specification, are attained in the present invention, and in the specific embodiment hereinafter illustrated, by providing a cylindrical dispenser vessel into which a supply can may be pressed telescopingly upward, and having an upward-opening valve-like bottom, a top including a nozzle and mounting a tube extending therefrom downward in the vessel toward the bottom, and means, such as a lift pump, operating in the tube, to lift the semi-fluid substance upward and discharge it outward from the nozzle; further having air escape means to permit quick venting of air from the partly empty vessel as it is resupplied, which discriminates effectively between air and the more viscous semi-liquid material. Shch discrimination is obtained by the restriction of a fixed orifice vent and a ball check.

In the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred embodiment of the present invention:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away, of a dispenser embodying the present invention, and having a supply can telescopingly mounted thereon.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view takenalong the vertical plane of symmetry of the dispenser shown in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

The discharge mechanism of the present dispenser is of itself fairly familiar, except for the fact, as shown in FIGURE 1, that it is adapted for use on a wall bracket a, or as a portable dispenser. Its yoke like handle 11 is 3,191,639 Patented June 29, 1965 mounted to span the dispenser top casting generally designated 12. Such top casting 12, shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, includes a generally circular top portion 13, a rear weirdly-projecting bracket mount lug 14, and a forwardlyextcnding hollow discharge nozzle 15. The hollow interior of the nozzle 15 communicates with a downwardlypresented countersunk hub-like center boss 16. A pump shaft bore 17 penetrates the top 13 in registration with the center of the hub-like boss 16. Threaded and sealedly mounted within the .boss 16 is the downwardly-extending pump cylinder tube 18, in flow communication with the nozzle 15.

Through the pump shaft bore 17 extends a lifting pump shaft 21, having at its top end a spacer stop 22 An actuating handle 23, secured to the top of the pump shaft 211, is readily lifted by the fingers ofthe user, who may simultaneously press the heel of his hand over the handle 11 to apply the lifting force with great ease. An uppermost compression spring 24 within the tube 18 fits at its lower end on a snap ring 25 mounted on the pump shaft 21, and extends into the hub-like center boss 16 and bears at its upper end against the inner surface of the top 13, urging the pump handle 23 normally down.

Near the lower end of the pump shaft 21 a verticallyapertured displacement pump piston 26, fitted slideably within the tube 18, is secured on the shaft 211 between two snap rings 27, the upper ring being countersunk within the top surface of the apertured piston 26. On the upper surface of the piston 26 and normally closing its apertures rests an upwardly displaceable pump disc 28, of smaller diameter than the piston 26, and urged downward (to close the piston apertures) by a spring 29 acting between the upper surface of the disc 28 and the snap ring 25 I above it.

The tube 18 extends downward sufiiciently beneath the lowermost position of the bottom end of the pump shaft 21 to mount in its lower end a fixed-position bottom valve seat member 31, having a central bore 32 and fiow apertures 33 spaced radially therefrom. Within the central bore 32 of the seat member 31 is loosely mounted, for vertical reciprocation, the stem 34 of the bottom valve 35, of sufiicient diameter to close over the apertures 33 of the seat member 31 when its undersurface seats thereagainst by gravity. Upward travel of the valve 35 from the seat 31 is limited by a clip 36 on the lower end of the stem 34.

The novel dispenser vessel and its provisions for filling, air exhaust, continued telescoping into a supply receptacle, and air inlet when fully telescoped, will now be described. A coiled compression spring 38, located at its upper end against the underside of the fixed position seat member 31 within the lower end of the tube 18, urges downwardly a fiat metal plate 39 which rests on the inwardly-turned bottom flange 40 of a hollow cylindrical metal dispenser vessel generally designated 41.

(The cylindrical shape of the vessel 41 assumes that the supply receptacle will also be cylindrical. Any other constant cross-section capable of telescoping might have been selected.) The outer wall 42 extends perpendicularly from its bottom flange 46; the inner edge of the flange 40 defines a bottom opening 43 smaller than the plate 39 and conveniently being circular.

The plate 39 serves as a flapper valve bottom for the vessel 41. Its shape, shown inFIGURE 3, is a somewhat squared off circle, whose greatest radial extent is small enough to fit easily within the vessel 41. Its four squared off sides 44 permit rapid inflow of material when a supply receptacle is pressed upward telescopingly about the outer side of the vessel wall 42. t

The upper rim 4-5 of the vessel 41 is mounted in a circular recess 46 in the casting 12 concentric with the hub E boss 16. If not fitted sealingly, air may escape between the rim 45 and the casting 12 when the vessel 41 is filled, and enter as the vessel 41 is emptied. However, it is preferable to fit the vessel d1 sealingly in the recess 46 and make other provision for air escape and air entry, as now to be described. 4

' Penetrating the casting 12 above the rim 45 at its aft side are one or more air orifices 50 of fixed diameter, large enough to permit air to enter as the contents of the vessel 41 are discharged. This will permit air outflow, but at a rate too slow to accommodate the rush of air when a supp y receptacle or can c is rapidly telescoped over the vessel wall 42. Therefore, in the portion of the casting 12 which divides the nozzle 15 from the vessel 41 is mounted an upward-opening ball check valve 51 to permit rapid exhausting of air into the nozzle 15.

To the undersurface of the casting 12 rearwardly of the vessel 41 is secured an upper clip 52 mounting a long tension spring 53 from whose lower end is suspended a can-lifting clip 54, having a hook portion 55 shaped to engage the bottom seam b of a supply can or receptacle The mode of operation of the embodiment described will be apparent; nevertheless the following explanation may be helpful. The lid (not shown) of a supply can or receptacle is removed; the can is positioned at the lower end of the vessel 41 in telescoping relationship; and pressed upward. Its close telescoping fit on the vessel wall, the character of the cream-like semi-fluid substance supplied in the can 0 being somewhat lubricating or at least viscous, results in an effectual lubricated seal of the tel scoping surfaces as the substance is thus brought to bear upwardly against the fiapper plate 39. Its upward pressure lifts the plate 39 in the manner of a valve, driving the semidluid contents of the supply can c past the squared off edges 44 and into the vessel 41.

Meantime air is driven rapidly outward both by displac-' ing the ball check valve 51 upward and through the small orifice or orifices 50. An entire supply can or receptacle 1 0 may thus be rapidly telescoped upon and emptied into the vessel 41. When emptied, the can. or receptacle 0 is pulled off telescopingly downward, as the spring 38 holds the flapper plateSfi closed. A second full supply can 0 may then be similarly positioned at the bottom ofthe vessel 41 and pressed upward sufiiciently to displace all air from the vessel 41 and fill it completely.

The expulsion of air through the fixed orifice or orifices Ed and the check valve 51 proceeds with facility and rapidity until the vessel 41 is full; the telescoping then stopsabruptly. By the application of greatly increased force, it would be possible to squeeze semi-fiuid'substance slowly through the check valve 511 and the orifice or orifices 50; but its great difference in viscosity and relative sealing quality, as compared to air, result in a difierence in rate of flow which is immediately apparent. Therefore, the person servicing the dispenser will not be likely to apply any such increased force.

The spring 53 is then drawn downward and the hook end 55 of the clip 54 is applied to the bottom seam b of the supply can or receptacle 0. By this means a continuing force is exerted, urging the supply can or receptacle c telescopingly upward as the contents of the vessel 41 are When the supply'can or receptacle 0 reaches its upper- As the contents of the vessel 41 are emptied, ex

most position, this will be obvious to the attendant whose duty it is to replace supply cans. Though the supply can 0 is then empty, there is no need to replace it immediately, however, for the vessel 41 is still filled with the substance to be dispensed. As it is pumped from near the bottom f the vessel 41, air flows in through the fixed orifice or orifices 50 and the semi-fluid substance flows or settles into the lower part of the vessel 41 to replace that which is so discharged.

The operation of the lift pump mechanism is familiar and requires little comment. I An upstroke of the shaft 21 will lift the piston 25 and disc 28, tending to create a vacuum and thus raising the bottom valve 35 to its upper position shown in dashed lines in FIGURE 2. This draws semi-fluid material through the flow apertures 33 past the outer edge of the valve 35. The downstroke of the shaft 21 will displace thedisc 28 upward, as shown by dashed lines in FIGURE 2, so that the semi-fluid substance therebeneath will pass through the apertured piston 25, outwardly and upwardly of the disc 28. Successive pumping strokes expel the lifted semi-fluid material from the tube 18 outward through the nozzle 15.

Among the significant parts of the embodiment so described are:

The dispensing vessel outer wall 42, which defines a constant cross-section of such size as to be accommodated telescopingly within the supply can or receptacle 0, thus serving as means to permit telescoping sliding of the supply can or receptacle c;

The vessel bottom flange 40, bottom plate 39 and compression spring 33, serving as valve means responsive to external pressure to admit material upwardly from the supply receptacle 0 on such'telescoping sliding;

-The various members of the lift pump assembly, serving as discharge means extending downward into the vessel 41 from its upper to its lower portion;

The tension spring 53 and its clip ends, which serve as means exterior of the vessel 4-1 to urge the supply can or receptacle 0 telescopingly upward;

The fixed orifice or orifices 50, which are small in relation to the thickness of the Wall of the casting 12 through which they extend, thus serving as a flow-rate restriction which discriminates between a relatively fast flow permitted for air and a slowed flow rate of a substance having a substantially greater viscosity than that of air; and

The check valve 51 which provides for the rapid expulsion of air, but also discriminates between rate of flow of air and of substances of greater viscosity than air.

Various modifications may bemade in the details, depending upon the specific application to which the present invention may be put. For substances of less fluid, more jelly-like consistency, it may be desirable to locate the check valve 5% to communicate directly with the outside, rather than to the interior of the nozzle 15 to avoid discharge of jelly-like material resting in the nozzle as air is forced through the check. valve. in some uses, depending in part on the consistency of the substance to be dispensed, instead of the orifice or orifices 59 and the check valve 51, a very small gap between the upper rim 45 andthe circular recess 46 may serve both to admit air and to permit its expulsion at a sutficiently rapid rate, which (because of the length and narrowness of the gap and the viscosity of the substance) tends to differentiate obviously enough between small restriction to discharge of air and large effective restriction to discharge of the more viscous substance.

Other modifications will be apparent to those familiar with the problems of the art, interested in adapting the present invention to otherembodiments and purposes. Accordingly the present invention should not be construed narrowly, but rather as fully coextensive with the claims hereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A dispenser for semi-fluid substances and the like,

such substances being characterized in part by substantially greater viscosity than air, comprising a dispenser vessel having a lower end and outer wall means extending therefrom to permit telescoping sliding of a supply receptacle thereover, further having valve means at said lower end responsive to exterior pressure to admit material therethrough and into the vessel from such a supply receptacle on such telescoping sliding, tubular dispenser discharge pump means extending downward into the vessel from the upper to the lower portion thereof sp-acedly above said valve means and terminating in a lower end pump valve, and means at the upper end of the vessel to admit air and to permit the expulsion of air with greater facility than of substances of greater viscosity, whereby the vessel may be filled by telescopingly pressing such a supply receptacle upwardly thereover and may be gradually emptied by a plurality of operations of the dispenser discharge pump means. 2. A dispenser as defined in claim 1, together with means exterior of the vessel to urge a supply receptacle teleseopingly upward about the vessel. 3. A dispenser as defined in claim 1, said means at the upper end including fixed orifice means to discriminate in flow rate restriction between air and substances of greater viscosity than air. 4. A dispenser as defined in claim 3, said means at the upper end further including a ball check valve.

5. A dispenser adapted to dispense semi-fluid substance from a cylindrical can in which supplied, comprising a cylindrical vessel having an outer diameter slightly less than the inner diameter of the can in which the substance is supplied, whereby such can may be pressed telescopingly upward onto said cylindrical vessel,

the vessel having a bottom including a flapper valve portion openable on being pressed upward,

the dispenser further comprising a top having a dispensing nozzle extending radially beyond the vessel,

together with means to displace material from the lower portion of the vessel and to discharge such material outwardly through the nozzle, and a compression spring inserted between said means and the flapper valve portion of the vessel bottom.

6. A dispenser as defined in claim 5,

the means :to displace and discharge consisting of a lift pump including a pump tube in flow communication with the nozzle and a reciprocable shaft extending along the axis of the tube, a lift piston secured near the lower end of the shaft, and an upward opening valve on said piston,

the tube having an upward opening valve fixedly mounted therein beneath the lowermost position of the lower end of the reciprocable shaft.

7. A dispenser as defined in claim 5, together with an upper connection therefor to the dispenser top and a tension spring,

a lower connection therefor to such a supply can.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,168,396 8/39 Davis 141l8 2,630,248 3/53 Hinz 222-259 XR LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSER FOR SEMI-FLUID SUBSTANCES AND THE LIKE, SUCH SUBSTANCES BEING CHARACTERIZED IN PART BY SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER VISCOSITY THAN AIR, COMPRISING A DISPENSER VESSEL HAVING A LOWER END AND OUTER WALL MEANS EXTENDING THEREFROM A PERMIT TELESCOPING SLIDING OF A SUPPLY RECEPTACLE THEREOVER, FURTHER HAVING VALVE MEANS AT SAID LOWER END RESPONSIVE TO EXTERIOR PRESSURE TO ADMIT MATERIAL THERETHROUGH AND INTO THE VESSEL FROM SUCH A SUPPLY RECEPTACLE ON SUCH TELESCOPING SLIDING, TUBULAR DISPENSER DISCHARGE PUMP MEANS EXTENDING DOWNWARD INTO THE VESSEL FROM THE UPPER TO THE LOWER PORTION THEREOF SPACEDLY ABOVE SAID VALVE MEANS AND TERMINATING IN A LOWER END PUMP VALVE, AND MEANS AT THE UPPER END OF THE VESSEL TO ADMIT AIR AND TO PERMIT THE EXPULSION OF AIR WITH GREATER FACILITY THAN OF SUBSTANCES OF GREATER VISCOSITY, WHEREBY THE VESSEL MAY BE FILLED BY TELESCOPINGLY PRESSING SUCH A SUPPLY RECEPTACLY UPWARDLY THEREOVER AND MAY BE GRADUALLY EMPTIED BY A PLURALITY OF OPERATIONS OF THE DISPENSER DISCHARGE PUMP MEANS. 